Just Play Along
by Amelika734
Summary: Determined to get the man of her dreams Ayane tries her best to gain his interest, but to no avail. Desperate for help she turns to her new found friend Ryu Hayabusa, but will he help? And if so, will her plan end smoothly or will it backfire?
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, keep in mind that I'm still a beginner when it comes to writing so I'm still learning. I'm not exactly good with details so if you're confused about something just let me know, I'll fill you in. This story starts off real slow, just hang in there. It'll get interesting, I promise!**

 **These " " are for talking.**  
 **These ' ' are for thoughts.**  
 **And with that said, read on. ;)**

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"He's going to notice, Ayane." Said Kasumi as she stared at her sister's pierced ears.

The lavender haired girl would roll her eyes as if she didn't care, but in truth, she was scared. This was her brother Hayate, after all. He's a chill guy most of the time, but he can get scary when he's serious. And this may be one of those situations... as soon as he finds out.

"No, he won't." was all the younger sister had to say at the moment, too busy checking over the studs in her ears in the mirror, fixing her hair afterwards. She wore a plain black tank top with a maroon overcoat, a mini skirt of the same color to match, and some gladiator sandals to complete her outfit. Trying to look like a knockout was what Ayane was aiming for today. Her sister Kasumi on the other hand was going for comfortable, she had on a cute white overall, wearing a pink and white striped shirt inside, and some white shoes.

"And what makes you think he won't notice the sudden bling in your ears? Do you think our brother to be stupid?" Kasumi sighed.

"I know he's not stupid. Look, I know that he'll more than likely notice… but I can still hope that he'll have a blonde moment, and today can be that day. A girl can wish, right? And to be honest your words aren't helping right now so you can either comment on how nice they look or just zip it. Besides, it's already done. There's nothing I can do about it now."

The older sibling just shook her head at first before making her way to stand behind her sister, grasping the younger girl's shoulders before giving her a playful shake. Deciding to cut her little sister some slack Kasumi would flash Ayane a gentle smile. "I have to admit, they look good. Was it worth it?"

"Thanks, and of course." Ayane grinned.

Suddenly the bell rang which signaled the end of their lunch break, the sisters took their exit of the ladies bathroom. After grabbing what they need from their lockers they walked through the hallway on their way to class, Ayane keeping an eye out for her brother, not wanting to run into him just yet.

It was then she heard a familiar voice, one that secretly gave her goose bumps in a good way, that deep smooth voice that gave her butterflies in the stomach that soon travelled south into her nether regions causing a warm tingling sensation between her legs. She bit her lip, giving an inward shudder as she looked in the direction to where the voice came from and found the man of her dreams, her crush, Jin.

Jin was a tall guy reaching six feet, had tan skin, and a body any girl would worship. He had straight jet black hair that went down to his shoulder, his eyes were a beautiful hazel brown, and he had a great smile. He was wearing a dark blue fitted shirt, tight enough to show off the muscles he had, and a pair of blue jeans along with white sneakers to match.

He was standing near his locker with a few of his buddies, laughing it up over some joke one of his friends made. Jin was basically one of those guys everyone wanted to be or hang with. He was the nice guy who got along with everyone, got the good looks, the brains, good in sports, he had it all. Instead of boasting of his success he's a humble guy which only makes him more likable. He was perfect in her eyes.

As if noticing her stare their eyes would meet, and he'd give a nod in greeting, a small smile on his face. 'You can do this. Just be cool.' She took in a breath and exhaled to calm her nerves before making her way over to her crush with Kasumi in tow.

"Sup." Jin flashed a warm smile at the girls.

"Sup." Said Ayane suddenly feeling all shy, her face turning a light shade of red.

"I-I mean not much! Just…, you know, trying to keep up with school work. The life of a teenager." She'd say this jokingly, giving a little shake of her head, earning a chuckle from Jin which made her skin crawl in a pleasant way. She would tuck a few strands of her hair behind her ear, hoping he would notice her pierced ears.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But no worries, you'll do just fine. You're a smart girl." he said this winking at her, giving her a playful poke at her side making her giggle.

"Uh, Ayane.." called Kasumi but Ayane ignored her, flipping her short lavender locks, trying another way for Jin to take notice of her studded ears. Whether he noticed or not, he didn't voice it.

"Thank you. At least someone notices my intelligence." She grinned, craning her neck slightly to give him a view of her side profile, hoping he'd catch the bling in her ear. She even flipped her hair once more just in case he hasn't caught it yet.

"That's not the only thing I notice... You got a sore neck or something? You keep twisting it about. Looks painful." He said this, a look of concern crossed his features. Ayane's brow twitched in slight annoyance, as for her sister, Kasumi gave a small snort in amusement which in turn earned her a glare from her sister.

"No, no, I'm fine. Anyway, the bell should be ringing soon for class. Better hurry if you don't want to be late." She said, finally giving up on getting him to notice, knowing it was a lost cause.

"Alright then. See you around." Smiled Jin before leaving with his friends.

Ayane stood there for a moment watching him go, she sighed.

"He didn't notice my ears…" she said looking down at the ground, sounding disappointed.

"Ayane-" Kasumi tried to warn but was cut off, and ignored once again by her little sister who still kept ranting on about Jin.

"He noticed my so called sore neck but he doesn't notice the pierced ears. Come on!" she growled out.

"Well, I notice them." Said a male voice behind her, one that she knew all too well. She froze.

Before she could even think of what to do or say the bell suddenly rang throughout the building, break time was over and class was starting. She couldn't believe her luck, suddenly having an excuse to escape her brother even if for the moment. Better that than face the fire now.

"Time for class, have to go. Later!" she said this before running off, leaving her two siblings behind.

"Saved by the bell." Said Kasumi, giggling lightly watching her sister flee.

Their brother on the other hand didn't find it so amusing, and it was obvious with the look of disapproval on his face. "Not for long."

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

School had just finished, Ryu was making his way over to his locker not really paying much attention to his surroundings for his mind was elsewhere. He had a small black backpack with one of the straps hanging lazily over his shoulder, staring down at the tiled floor beneath his feet as he walked.

He usually wasn't the type to space off like that but lately something's been distracting him, something he couldn't shake off… or more like someone. A certain girl had been on his mind now, one with blonde hair, blue eyes, cherry red lips, and such fair skin, not to mention the body she has… you'd think she was Aphrodite reincarnate. That may be exaggerating a bit but that's how he viewed her, a goddess.

Then his thoughts of his goddess were put on hold as he suddenly bumps into someone, and hard. He was taken by surprise at first but his reflex soon kicked in reaching an arm out to catch the girl who stumbled back. Poor girl would've been on her behind on the floor if it wasn't for the arm that was wrapped securely around her waist holding her close.

He was about to ask if she was okay but went stiff when he realized a second later who the girl was. It was the very person who took over most of his thoughts, the object of his affection, his goddess, Irene.

With her so close he couldn't resist the urge to look her over, his emerald eyes taking in her form. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, she wore a white button up shirt that was sleeveless, pink skinny jeans that hugged her body tight showing her curves, and a pair of white flats.

With a sweet smile on her face she apologized to him her angelic voice sounding like melody to his ears. "I'm so sorry about that. I should have been watching where I was going."

"It's fine. I wasn't exactly paying attention, either.." He says this as soon as he recovers, letting his arm drop from around her waist.

"Oh? Just what could Ryu Hayabusa be thinking about that would cause him to lose focus?" She teased lightly.

If she only knew she was the reason for him being so distracted lately, but he wasn't ready to let her know just yet. Instead he avoided her question.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Well, I asked you first."

Before he could reply, though, one of Irene's friends come running pass them making their way out of the building.

"Hurry, Irene, before they leave without us!" called the girl before she disappeared through the doors.

"My friends are waiting. They're my ride home. Again, sorry for the run in. Take care, Ryu." Irene soon took off after her friend, but before she disappeared through the doors she'd turn her head back flashing him another angelic smile.

Ryu, of course, watched her go until she was out of sight. There was no doubt about it, he was sprung. And being the kind soul that she is, it only made him like her all the more. So far from what he can tell there weren't any bad points about her, like she had no flaws, just straight perfection.

So lost in thoughts of his goddess he didn't notice someone sneakily creeping towards him from behind, moving to stand beside him. Said person suddenly cleared their throat trying to gain his attention.

Ryu turns to face the person beside him only to find a short girl with amethyst eyes, and lavender hair. It just so happen to be his best friend's little sister, Ayane.

"I saw that, you know." she said, a knowing look on her face.

"Saw what?"

"You, and her. You two were standing pretty close to one another." A small teasing smile soon appeared on her face.

"We accidentally ran into each other, that's all."

"And what about you two making googly eyes at each other?"

"Googly eyes…?" he'd raise a brow at this, causing the lavender haired girl to roll her eyes.

"Getting to the point, I can tell you like her."

"You don't know what you're talking about." was all he said.

"Ahh, I see, it runs deeper than that. The L word. You fall fast. Then again it's Irene we're talking about. She has many admirers meaning you have a lot of competition. Better hurry and ask her out before someone else does."

Ryu had nothing against Ayane, but he wasn't exactly in the mood to get some advice on love, especially from his best friend's little sister. Not to mention he also didn't want to think about how many rivals he had, he sighed.

"Shouldn't you be heading home?" he asked, sounding tired shaking his head.

"Whatever, I was only trying to help. Don't listen to me then, but don't say I didn't warn you." She sighed, giving a shrug of her shoulders before making her way to the doors, not really wanting to stick around much longer in case Hayate was still around.

Ryu for some reason felt like he didn't have to brush her off like that, she really was just trying to help. Even if she was being a little nosy, still. He felt like he needed to say something else, not wanting to leave it as it is he called out to her.

"Ayane."

She paused in her step, turning her head back to look at him. "Yeah?"

"They look nice." Was all he said, knowing he didn't have to explain himself any further. By the look in her eyes she understood, a small smile appeared on her face as she thanked him.

'At least someone besides my siblings noticed my earrings.'

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 **And that's it for chapter one. Let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**On with the story!**

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Instead of going straight home after school Ayane went to her friend Christie's house. She wasn't ready to face the fire at home, knowing Hayate was surely waiting for her which is why she stayed over for hours on end, most of the day already gone, and it was starting to get dark signaling night.

She knew at some point that she'd eventually have to return home, the thought causing her to groan, falling back to lean against the black couch staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm sure you're brother isn't that scary.." said Christie who sat beside her, watching her friend with amusement clear on her face. It wasn't everyday that Ayane showed fear, it just wasn't in her pride to do so, so seeing her on the edge like this was quite entertaining for her friend.

Choosing to ignore Christie, the lavender haired girl just gave a deep sigh, trying to calm her nerves. Christie on the other hand wasn't quite done, though. This was a chance to pick fun at her friend, what are best buds for?

"Hell, instead of scary.. he's quite the opposite. Down right sexy as hell if I say so myself." Said Christie, smirking.

"Uh, yeah, I don't want to hear how hot my brother is. Thanks." She deadpanned.

"That greek god body of his, the tight biceps, those amazing abs, I can just see myself licking whipped cream off them while slowly making a wet trail with my tongue all the way down to his-"

"Okaaay, you do know there are things such as boundaries, right? So stop it. And besides, you'll never get the chance. He's in a serious relationship already, been in one for about two years, and they're still going strong."

Christie would scoff at this giving a roll of her eyes, she obviously didn't approve of the relationship.

"You talking about that happy go lucky German girl?"

"Yes, and her name is Hitomi. I didn't like her much at first, either. But then time went on, and I got to know her a little better.. she's not so bad. As long as my brother is happy with her, I'm cool."

"Oh please. He only thinks he's happy with her because he hasn't seen me yet."

"But he has, you've been over to my house before. You've met him."

"I meant naked.. he hasn't seen me naked yet. And not only that, but the things I could do to him. I could take him to new pleasure highs, show him a few tricks, give him a way better time then that sad little clueless hussy of his."

"It would never work out even if he was a free agent because going out with your friend's brother is definitely a big NO. It's just wrong, as wrong as going out with a friend's ex. Brothers and exes are off limits. It's girl code. Don't fuck with girl code."

"You know, if I had a brother that you thought was fine.. I'd let you have at him."

"Answer is still no, and always will be no." sighed Ayane, getting annoyed with her friend.

"Well, then I guess I have no choice but to end our friendship." Christie would say this sounding serious yet her eyes still held her amusement.

"Fine by me, but my brother is still off limits." Ayane shook her head, wondering about her friend's twisted sense of humor at times. Christie would fake a hurt look which only lasted a second before she suddenly leaned in to wrap her arms around her friend's shoulders in a hug, giving her a tight squeeze.

"I guess it's time I quit stalling, and go face the fire. Ugh." She sighed.

"You'll live.. by the way.. tell your brother I'm hot, wet, willing, and waiting." Christie whispered to her lavender haired friend.

"That's it, I'm out." She rolled her eyes as she broke free from Christie, getting up off her couch and heading out. By the time she reached home it was already night, she noticed all the lights were off in the house which was a little weird. It wasn't that late to where everything would be off and everyone would be asleep. Immediately she knew something was up, she could feel it, she cursed under her breath.

Their parents were away on some cruise they had won thus leaving her brother in charge of the house till they get back. She would have preferred dealing with her parents than her brother, but there was no chance of that happening tonight.

Ayane knew she was about to walk into a trap, but what else can she do? She was tired, and the only way to her nice comfy bed was to go inside. Might as well face her doom, and get it over with so she can jump into the safety of her thick warm blankets.

"Here we go..." she muttered as she turned the door knob noticing it was unlocked which she expected as much. Pushing the door open she was greeted with a dark room, and as soon as she entered the house closing the door behind her the lights suddenly went on lighting the place up.

Hayate was there across the living room sitting back in a chair, and of course his eyes were on her, she swallowed.

"Where have you been?" he asked lightly, acting all casual and aloof yet the fire in his eyes told a completely different story. He wasn't happy. She gave an inward shudder, having to look away from him every now and then. She couldn't hold his intense gaze for long, especially when he was like this, like a lion that's about to go in for the kill.

As much as she was scared she also couldn't help but to wonder about something, her curiosity getting the best of her for the moment, she had to ask.

"Why were you waiting in the dark like that? You couldn't just wait for me the normal way, you know, with the lights on.."

"Where were you?" he asked, his casual attitude suddenly gone, his jaw clenched shut tightly after, trying to reign in his anger and keep hold on what little patience he had left.

"...Seriously, how long were you sitting there waiting in the dark?"

Once she spotted him sporting a dark expression on his face looking like he was ready to blow any minute.. that's when she decided her questions weren't important. She didn't need to know.

"If I have to ask you one more time-"

"I was with Christie. She needed some help with her science project, and that took a few hours.. So yeah."

"You were helping your friend with a project.. You sure it doesn't have anything to do with you avoiding me?"

"No, why would I avoid you?..." she asked this, lowering her gaze to the floor clearing her throat.

"I don't know.. Maybe because you knew that sooner or later you would be in trouble for doing something you weren't allowed to.. like getting your ears pierced."

"I'm sorry." She sighed.

"I told you, and Kasumi.. you guys can do whatever you want, but that is only after you finish school. Once you're eighteen you can go and get a lip piercing, nose piercing, you can even get a tattoo if you want. You only have to wait a little over a year till you gain that sort of freedom, but you couldn't even wait…"

"It's just piercing my ears, nothing's wrong with that. It's not like this is going to affect my school work or anything..." Even though she did skip class to get her ears done, but he didn't need to know that.

"That's not the point. You didn't listen, you're not even listening now. We have rules in this household, and you broke one of them. With you disobeying me like this it just shows how much little respect you have for me."

"Now hold on, you can't say that. That's not fair. You're my brother, I look up to you like a role model. I have a lot of love and respect for you, I always will. I just couldn't help myself, and in my moment of weakness I gave in to the idea of getting earrings all because I thought they'd make me look prettier and make me, I don't know, shine…Not to mention I thought Jin would like them, but he hasn't even noticed." She mumbles the last part about Jin under her breath to herself, pouting like a child while staring down at the floor.

He'd continue to sit there watching her in silence. She could've been saying those things just to suck up to him, but he knew she meant it. Her words had touched him causing his anger to fade a little which helped him to think more clearly. Sure he was a little hurt at first at the fact that she disobeyed him, and then tried to hide it from him afterwards. She was only human, though. Just simply being a teenage girl, she'll make a few mistakes along the way, but that was the whole part of growing up.

No one ever said it would be easy taking care of teenage girls, especially when he's basically a teen himself. He's very mature for his age being only eighteen, still, he had a lot of growing up to do. He may have to deal with the hardheaded one standing in front of him, but at least his other sister was the complete opposite. Kasumi was the levelheaded one, and thank goodness for that. There's no way he'd survive taking care of two trouble makers.

Moving off the chair he'd make his way over to stand in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders, he sighed.

"You must be comfortable in your own skin, and you don't need earrings or any of the sort to help you shine. You shine bright enough all on your own. You're fine the way you are. Have confidence."

"Thank you, brother… So.. does this mean I'm off the hook?" she asked, hoping he'd let it go since he seemed to be in a better mood.

He'd chuckle some, a devilish smirk appearing on his face. He'd pull Ayane in trapping her in a headlock, ruffling her hair like crazy knowing how much she dislikes it.

"Oh no, you're not off the hook. I've got to teach you a lesson, and show you what happens to those who don't listen."

"Of course you do. So what's my punishment?" she asked this once she freed herself from her brother's grasp, glaring at him as she fixed her hair.

"You're in charge of cleaning duty for the next two weeks. You are to take out the trash, clean the bathroom, kitchen, basically the whole house, even yard work. Kasumi can't help you, either. You do it all on your own."

"That's a lot of cleaning…"

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time seeing as how you're grounded for those two weeks."

"Great." She says this sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Now that that was over with Hayate bid his sister goodnight before he left to his room. Ayane stood there watching him go, she couldn't help but wonder… just how long did he wait for her to come home?

"He probably waited there since after school.. he so needs to get a life." She shook her head.

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 **Review, please.**


	3. Chapter 3

**For some reason it was difficult for me to write this one because at first I didn't know how to go about it. I'm just winging it as I go. Aha. Bear with me, people. Bear with me.**

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A week went by, and nothing big happened, life just went on as usual. There wasn't much she could do when all she had was school, and after school it was straight home to do housework, and then homework time.

The only excitement she got was whenever she would bump into Jin at school in the hallway having a chat with him, but other than that her life was boring.

It was a Saturday night, the weekend, and there she lay on her couch watching TV. Hayate was out on a date with Hitomi, Kasumi left earlier in the day to the mall with her friends, and as for her.. she was stuck home. Life sucked right now.

There was a knock on the door, Ayane got up from the couch to answer it. She was hoping it was one of her friends coming to keep her company and save her from boredom, but instead she found Ryu Hayabusa. Oh well.., he'll do.

"Hey. Is Hayate home?"

"Yo. And sorry, but he isn't. He's out on a date with Hitomi."

"Alright.. let him know I stopped by, and thanks. Have a good night, Ayane." He was turning over to leave, but paused when he felt a hand grip his arm.

"Is something wrong?.." he asked gazing at the grip on his arm before looking up at her face, waiting for some sort of explanation. In reply to his question her face suddenly broke out into a big smile that was so super sweet it was obviously fake. Right then he knew she wanted something, he just didn't know what.

"Well, now that you've asked.. something is wrong. I'm bored to death, and could use some company. If you're not busy.. maybe you could stay here and hang with me?"

He may not have showed it, but that took him by surprise. Ayane was asking him of all people to hang out on a Saturday night. It wasn't like they were complete strangers, having known her since she was a kid, but still, they never actually spent time together, just the two of them. They never had any reason to before so why now?

"Sorry, I can't." he said trying to pull his arm free from her grasp but this only caused her to tighten her grip on him.

She'd stare at him with pleading eyes, "Alright, the truth is… I don't feel safe alone. My family is out and about, my friends are either hiding or were abducted by aliens, and I'm all by my lonesome. Come on, Ryu, you can't leave a girl here by herself at night. It's not safe."

"Keep the door locked."

"That's just it, the lock is broken.. What if someone tries to break in?"

"I highly doubt that would happen…"

"And that's exactly when it happens, when everyone least expects it.."

"…" Ryu sighed.

"A group of guys could break in after you leave, ransack our house, even kidnap me. They can do whatever to me then, beat me to a pulp or worst.. they could-"

"Alright, I'll stay." He cuts her off not wanting to picture such images. Knowing she won, she grinned, thanking him. With her grip still on his arm she'd pull him in through the doorway, releasing him only after closing the door behind him.

She'd motion with her hand for him to follow her, asking if he wanted a drink which he politely declined. Ayane settled herself down in a chair and Ryu on the couch. Now that the two were alone together just sitting there he couldn't help but feel a little awkward as if he didn't know what to say.

Ayane on the other hand was busy surfing the channels until she stumbled upon Dracula Untold. "Oohh, I like this movie."

Ryu would turn to look at her with a raised brow, somewhat surprised by this bit of information.

"I didn't know you were into these films, vampires and all."

"I'm not. I only like this one because Luke Evans just so happens to be the main vampire. Enough said." She flashed a cheeky grin at this. Ryu just shook his head.

Vladimir's wife soon appeared on the screen, her long blonde locks flowing about her. "Ryu, look, there's Irene." She called out jokingly while pointing at the TV. Whether he found it amusing or not he didn't show it, instead he kept silent with his eyes focused on the screen. He must've been really into the movie or the blonde chick.. or for all she knew he could just be purposely ignoring her. Well, whatever, that wasn't going to stop her.

"Huh.. Who would have ever thought that blondes would be your type."

When she brought up Irene he knew where this was going, and he didn't want to talk about it. He tried to keep silent, but with her being oh so persistent knowing she won't stop he caved in. He'll go along with it for now.

"And what would make you think that?" he asked.

"Well, Irene, of course." She rolled her eyes.

"I never said I was interested in her."

Ayane scoffed at this. "You don't have to. I can see it in your face. Play dumb all you want, but I know the truth."

"Why so interested in who I like?" he would ask suddenly turning his gaze on her.

Ayane's eyes would widen slightly being caught off guard by his question yet she was quick to recover, and even quicker to reply, rushing to explain herself in case he got the wrong idea.

"I-I'm not that interested. I mean I'm not interested at all in you, that is. No offense to you. I was just trying to get you to open up a little, you know, get to know you better.."

She heard a chuckle come from him sneaking a peek at him she caught the amused look on his face. It was then she realized he was teasing her, this causing her to throw a small pillow at him.

"Jerk." She mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned her attention back to the screen.

"I could be anywhere else on a Saturday night yet I'm here with you because you don't feel safe alone, and I'm the jerk?" Only after he said those words did he realize how it sounded, but before he could explain himself Ayane cut him off.

"If you really don't want to be here then feel free to go. No one is forcing you to stay." She huffed, shooting a glare at him.

"I didn't mean it like that. Trust me, if I didn't want to be here I wouldn't be."

"So you stayed to watch over me, and keep me safe? Wow. Didn't know you cared." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"The reason I stayed is because I care. The fact that I'm here now watching this horrible Dracula movie just proves it."

Ayane went quiet after that. She probably didn't know what to say or was still upset, he couldn't tell. Thinking that was that, he sighed, leaning back into his seat.

"Last year… I snuck into a party only to end up almost getting molested by that pervert Todd Cordell, and I remember my brother found me later that night at home crying. He was pissed of course when I told him what happened." She said this out of nowhere, keeping her eyes on the screen as she surfed the channels once more.

Ryu remembered that incident, but he wasn't sure why she was bringing it up or where she was going with this. Whether she was waiting for his reply or not she continued anyway.

"I didn't know how I would act facing Todd the next day at school, but it seems I didn't have to. Todd didn't show up for almost two weeks at school, and rumors were going around that he got beaten up pretty badly.. Right then my brother came to mind. I was so sure it was his doing, that he had beaten the crap out of Todd for me... Then one day Todd came back to school, and just the look on his face, the fear in his eyes when he saw you, and especially the way he hurried away after that.. it clicked in my mind. He never had a reason to fear you before, and I knew then…it was you." She finished.

"Your brother told me what happened that night. Since we both knew who he was we decided to go looking for him, I was just lucky enough to get to him first."

"You didn't have to, though."

"I wanted to." he said.

"And that's how I know you care.."

This caused him to look over at her only to find her smiling at him, this smile nowhere near fake like the one she sported earlier when begging him to stay. Instead this smile was soft, genuine, and it looked nice on her.

"Do you care enough to try and be friends, though?" She asked with a raised brow. He blinked. She's a strange one.., and her mood swings…

First she only wanted his company, but now she was asking to be friends. He couldn't figure out why she wanted to be friends all of a sudden, but he couldn't think of a reason why he should turn her down either. She wasn't so bad to hang with, she could be nosy sometimes but it was usually out of good intentions, and she was respectful.

Seeing as how she was still waiting for an answer he'd respond, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders. "I don't see why not…"

"Alright, now we're going to play twenty one questions to get to know one another better."

Ryu would groan at this. "I change my mind. I don't want to be friends."

Ayane of course ignored him, and continued on with her little game.

"I'll start off with something real easy." She said this surfing the channels once more before settling for Family Guy.

"As long as you give an answer as well." He sighed, shaking his head.

"Deal. Now, what's your favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Blue is cool. Purple is my color, and no it has nothing to do with my hair." She rolled her eyes causing Ryu to chuckle.

She asked him a few more simple questions like what his favorite food is, his hobbies, favorite subject for school, sports, anything that came to mind. While she was doing this she was prepping, getting herself ready to ask the one question she's been dying to ask from the start. She already knew the answer, but needed to hear it from his lips instead.

She didn't know why, but she was set on getting him to confess on his crush. Knowing how nice of a guy he really was, and now that he was willing to try and be friends.. she wanted to get to know him better. Their friendship may not be anywhere close compared to the bond he has with her brother since they've been best friends for years, but it was a start. While growing up she's been around Ryu long enough to know that he was a good guy, one who would go out of his way for a friend. He was the definition of a true friend. Christie was her true friend, but it couldn't hurt to have another, especially one with muscles who could help you scare off perverts who couldn't take no for an answer.

"Okay, on to the next. If you have a crush, who is it?" she asked.

"I don't have one." He would avoid eye contact with her when he answered.

Ayane expected this much, but that didn't mean she was going to give up. "Really, Ryu? What, do you think I'm going to tell the whole school who you like? Do I look like the type of person to do that?"

He'd look at her before slowly shaking his head.

"Good because if you had said yes then this friendship would have been over before it even started. What's so hard on admitting your crush to me? It won't benefit me at all on telling anyone this. And in all the time that you've known me, have I ever given you any reason to distrust me?"

He shook his head again.

"Okay, then. So I'll ask again. If you have a crush, who is it?"

He was a little hesitant at first but finally gave in, answering just above a whisper. "It's Irene..".

"There you go. That wasn't so hard, was it?" she asked, earning her a glare from Ryu.

"What? Honesty is the first step to a great friendship." She gave a little teasing smile at this.

"And what about you?" he asked suddenly turning it on her.

"Huh, what about me?" she played dumb.

"What ever happened to honesty? I told you who I like so it's only fair you tell me yours." Giving her a look as he said this.

"Okay, okay… It's Jin." She'd turn her head face down staring into her lap, her cheeks a light shade of red.

She was embarrassed which was something people didn't get to see often, it was cute. He was going to enjoy it as much as he could.

"Jin? Are you talking about the senior, the one in my grade?" he asked with a raised brow.

Ayane would give a roll of her eyes before mumbling a yes, her face still flushed red.

In truth he wasn't all that surprised by her answer. He didn't know Jin all that well, but he knew the guy was well liked throughout the school. He shared a few classes with Jin, and as far as he knew Jin was a decent guy.

"How long?" he asked.

"It's been a year and a half, now. What about you?"

"I've always known her to be there, it's just recently I've started to.. really take notice of her. And now I can't get her out of my mind. This has been going on for almost three months." He sighed.

"Then do something about it, make a move on her. Ask her out."

"Hn, says the one who still has done nothing after a year, and a half." A little sarcasm laced in his tone.

"Hey! I may not have asked him out, but I try in other ways. Every time I get all dolled up looking pretty is me trying. I flirt, I even pierced my ears for him.. I've been practically throwing myself at him. What more can I do? Besides, I'm waiting for him to ask me out, there's no way I'm doing it." she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"If he can't take the hint after a year and a half, maybe you have no choice but to be the first one to ask." Ryu shrugged.

Family Guy was just about finished so Ryu leaned over towards Ayane's seat only to snatch the remote trying to find something else to watch. Upon flipping through the channels he found the ID channel, something about a murder case. He was fine with watching it, but Ayane wasn't in the mood for it. She quickly voiced her disgust, and asked him to change the channel, but he refused.

"You chose Family Guy. It's my turn, and I choose this." He said simply.

"It's my TV so hand it over." She would hold her hand out expecting him to give her the remote, but he made no movement to. He didn't budge, not even an inch.

So she got out of her seat and made her way over to stand in front of him purposely blocking his view of the TV. With a grin she'd reach for the remote with her hands and was able to grasp it, but Ryu refused to let her take it so the two were doing a little tug of war game. It wasn't serious, and they were only playing around, their hands pressing buttons as they continued to pull on the remote, this causing the TV to randomly flip through channels. They kept pulling for a moment until a certain hard tug on Ryu's end made Ayane stumble, her foot getting caught in the rug beneath her feet causing her to fall forward straight onto him.

With his quick reflexes his arms move to catch her, wrapping around her form as she fell against his chest, their faces just inches apart. The remote had dropped to the floor by their feet but neither made a move to get it or perhaps they didn't notice. Not even the sounds coming from the TV could distract them, the only thing they could focus on at that moment was the person in front of them and how close they were. How very close…

The front door suddenly opens and in comes Hayate with Hitomi. Hayate was laughing over something his girlfriend said, but that quickly died down at the scene in front of him which was his little sister looking all cozy sitting in his best friend's lap, and on the TV was… porn?

"What the fuck?" were the only words that left his mouth as he kept switching his gaze between the two on the couch, and the TV.

At first Ayane couldn't understand her brother's reaction, it's not like he caught them doing something naughty… That was until she followed her brother's gaze to the TV where a naked girl was moaning like crazy, her huge breasts bouncing while riding a guy, and they were doing it on a couch, in a sitting position, too. What a coincidence… she groaned.

It seemed Ryu too just realized the situation because the two suddenly broke away from each other so fast. Finding the remote on the floor Ayane quickly grabbed it only to turn the TV off.

"It's not what you think!" she quickly explained while running a hand through her hair, her face turning a dark shade of red. Of course this had to happen to her…

Hayate just stood there with a dumbfound look on his face, probably still in shock. Poor Hitomi was just as red as Ayane, but she stayed silent and kept looking anywhere except at Ayane and Ryu.

Ayane let out a small growl in frustration, something she did whenever she felt helpless in a situation. She figured it was no use in trying to explain how Ryu and herself ended up the way they did, Hayate might not believe her anyway. Not to mention she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

"The whole thing was an accident. That's it. I don't have to explain any further because I've got nothing to hide. I'm off to bed." She grumbled out before storming off disappearing in the hallway. A moment later they heard a click of a door opening and closing signaling she was now in her room.

Ryu would look over back at Hayate only to find him staring back with a stern look on his face. Not wanting his best friend to get the wrong idea Ryu held his hands up in defense. "This is all truly a misunderstanding."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" asked Hayate.

"I came by earlier to see you, you weren't home. Ayane wanted company, and asked me to join her. We were watching TV, and no it wasn't porn. That just happened by accident as well as her falling on me, and then you guys showed up. All of this was just bad timing." He sighed.

Hayate's facial expression relaxed some which meant he believed his best friend. He knew Ryu wasn't one to lie. Letting out a sigh of relief Hayate made his way to Ryu giving him a firm pat on his shoulder.

"Ayane asked for your company? That's surprising." Hayate couldn't help but point out.

"With the lock on your door being broken she didn't feel safe being home alone." Said Ryu.

"What? The lock on our door isn't broken." Hayate said this as he made his way to the front door checking the lock, and sure enough… the lock worked.

Ryu was speechless for a minute. He couldn't believe Ayane tricked him. Then again it was sort of his fault for not checking the lock in the first place. He just took her word for it. Instead of getting angry or annoyed about it he found it amusing, a low chuckle escaped his lips, a small smile appearing on his face soon after.

* * *

 **I think I ended it at a good spot, no?**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter was a biatch to put up. My computer is getting so slow, and it doesn't help that I have three toddlers trashing it as well. Anyway, enjoy reading.**

* * *

The weekend was over and it was back to school, Monday was her least favorite day for this. Ayane spent her morning in the cafeteria eating waffles as she thought about her conversation with Ryu that night. Maybe he was right, maybe she should be the one to ask Jin out. After all, it didn't look like Jin was going to do it any time soon. Waiting around for a year, and a half to be asked out was long enough for her. It was time she put on her big girl panties, and make a move.

"Morning." Christie greeted plopping down beside Ayane at the table. Ayane tried to offer her some waffles but Christie declined.

"I noticed I'm packing on a few pounds so I'm cutting down on the food. This oh so sexy slim body of mine is all I've got. If I lose this then I have nothing." Said Christie caressing her sides, checking herself out.

"By the way, thanks for coming over and keeping me company on the weekend. Since I couldn't go out, and all, what with being grounded." Ayane said sarcastically.

"Oh, don't be like that. You're a big girl, and can be by yourself for a day or two. Look, you survived." Christie playfully bumped shoulders with her lavender haired friend.

"Hey, girls!" called Tina who was another friend of theirs. Making her way over to them Tina took a seat at the table across from the two.

"It's been a while since we've seen you. Ever since you got a man it's like you don't have us friends anymore." Christie smirked.

"That's because I have a life. You should try and get one, especially a man. It's real nice." Tina winked. In response Christie just flipped Tina off. Ayane laughed.

"Speaking of men, check out what my man gave me this weekend." Tina squealed while showing off her blue sapphire necklace.

"There's no way Zack can afford that. He jacked that from someone else, I just know it." said Christie.

"We went to an amusement park during the day then we took a stroll at the beach, and afterwards he took me to some fancy restaurant for dinner. That's when he gave me this gorgeous necklace, and it's my favorite color! Oh, how I love this man." Tina gushed.

"Now would be the time to change the subject before she goes on, and on about Zack. And you all know she can go on for days." Lisa laughed joining the group at the table sitting beside Tina.

"Good idea. What did you do for the weekend, Lisa?" asked Christie.

"I got shitfaced, of course. What about you two?" she asked referring to Christie and Ayane.

Without even thinking Ayane just answered, "Ryu and I hung out Saturday night."

Realizing what she just said Ayane silently cursed at herself. Knowing how her friends are she regretted saying those words. She knew they would be quick to assume something was going on between her and Ryu.

"You, and Ryu? You mean Ryu Hayabusa? Isn't he your brother's friend? That's new." Christie teased.

"Yeah, how did that happen? What did you guys do that night? Give us details!" Lisa grinned.

"Nothing, we just watched TV. He came over to see my brother, but my brother wasn't home. And since he was already there he decided to hang out." Ayane sighed.

"Alone… with you?..." Christie asked.

"Yes. You make it sound like I'm terrible company." Ayane glared at her best friend, Christie just smirked.

"Just watching TV? That's it? I'm not buying it." Tina shook her head.

"No. The real question is… what were you watching? I bet it was porn." Lisa giggled.

Ayane couldn't help the blush that crept up on her face as she remembered that night with the whole porn incident. If only her friends knew how close to the truth they were.. not that she was going to tell them about it.

"Her face got all red, it must hold some truth! And I was only joking about the porn, too." Laughed Lisa, her and Tina high fiving. Ayane just groaned.

"That wouldn't really surprise me because I saw them flirting in the hallways. I'm witness to their little secret romance." teased Tina smiling cheekily.

"And when exactly did we flirt in the hallways?" asked Ayane, looking at Tina like she was crazy.

"Don't play dumb. I saw you two in the hallway last week when he called out to you just to tell you how nice your legs looked. By the way they did look nice in that maroon mini skirt, it made you look like you had legs for days, girl!" said Tina.

"Oh my god, that wasn't flirting. And he wasn't talking about my legs." Ayane rolled her eyes.

"If not her legs then it's got to be her chest. Just look at her breasts! They're huge! She's the youngest one out of all of us, and yet she has the biggest knockers. Bitch." Lisa mumbled in a playful manner, sticking her tongue out at Ayane.

"And after he told her they looked nice Ayane stood there batting her eyelashes at him while thanking him. She even winked at him." Tina snickered.

"Okay, now you're highly exaggerating. And for your information he was talking about how nice my earrings looked." Ayane would toss a piece of waffle across the table at Tina who dodged it.

"She denies their secret romance now, but just wait. It will come to surface when they're ready to let it be known." Smiled Tina.

The five minute bell warning would ring throughout the building letting the students know class would start soon, this caused all the girls to groan. Ayane wasn't ready to start class like the rest of the girls but deep down a part of her couldn't help but feel relief when the bell rang. The bell was her savior allowing her to escape her friends who could annoy the hell out of her sometimes, today seemed to be one of those days.

They all made a move to get up from the table all the while complaining about the classes they had to start with, their earlier conversation forgotten. As they did this they took no notice of a certain someone who was sitting at the table next to theirs, it was Irene.

Ayane and her friends would walk together in a group as they made their way to exit the cafeteria, having no clue a pair of blue eyes followed them as they went.

XXXXXXXXXX

The bell would ring signaling the end of fourth period, and the beginning of their lunch break. Ayane was at her locker putting away her binder, and textbooks. She finally decided that she would do it. She was going to ask Jin out today. Closing her locker she'd lean her forehead against it, mentally giving herself a pep talk. She'd take a big inhale of air through her nose before slowly exhaling through her lips trying to calm her nerves. Looking herself over she had to make sure her attire was presentable. Today she chose to wear a denim outfit. A long blue sleeve jean jacket with a white tank top underneath, and a pair of matching jean shorts that cut to her mid thigh. She wore a pair of light brown boots along with other brown accessories to match like bangles on her wrists, her ears sporting her studs. Oh yeah, she looked good, alright.

'You can do this.' She thought as she made her way through the hallway slowly heading to where his locker is thinking he might be there, and sure enough he was. Jin was putting some stuff away in his locker, he had three other friends with him. She was able to catch him before he went off campus for lunch. Ayane took it as a sign that this was meant to happen, that only good things will start to happen from here. Straightening her clothes out she cleared her throat getting ready to step out from the corner behind the wall to greet Jin, but then someone mentioned her which stopped her in her tracks.

"I'm surprised that little pretty chick didn't come see you today. Usually she always tries to catch you in the hallways, and flirts every chance she gets. It's obvious she has a thing for you. Are you ever going to tap that?" asked one of Jin's friends. Ayane recognized the voice, and knew it was Jared. That guy was an asshole, she couldn't understand why Jin would want to hang out with a guy like that. Ugh.

"You talking about that lavender haired chick? She's hot. Those legs." Whistled Leo who was another stupid friend of Jin's.

"Her name is Ayane, idiots." Said a third voice which she knew to be Ian. Out of those three Ian was the only one she had no problems with. He was a pretty chill guy, and quiet like the silent but deadly type. He wasn't one to say many words, and only spoke when necessary. The fact that he even remembered her name scored him a point.

"She's a nice girl, she's pretty. I just don't like her like that. I see her like a little sister." Said Jin.

"Are you serious? If I were you I would have been all over that by now." Jared shook his head as did Leo.

"Don't you think you should tell her that so she can quit chasing after something that will never be?" sighed Ian.

"I tried. I mean I try thinking of ways to tell her softly, but in the end there's no nice way to rejection. I don't want to hurt her feelings so I just act oblivious to it. It's not like I'm leading her on intentionally for the hell of it." Jin sighed this time, slamming his locker closed with a little more force than necessary.

"Whoa, down, boy." Leo joked. Ian rolled his eyes.

"And aside from that I'm dealing with my own feelings for Irene. She doesn't seem all that into me, and that's what's throwing me off. I want to ask her out on a date, but I'm not so sure she'll say yes." He grunted.

"Only way to find out is if you ask." Shrugged Ian.

"Yeah, all you have to do is just grow some set of balls." Joked Leo, he and Jared shared a laugh as they pound their fists together.

"Let's go get some food, I'm hungry. We only have half an hour left, time is ticking." Said Jin, and with that they all left.

Ayane hadn't moved from her spot behind the wall, she stood still as a statue. Her amethyst eyes were staring blankly at the floor, her face an expressionless mask. Her whole body was stiff, her hands that rest at her sides slowly curled into fists, clenching tightly.

This whole time… this whole time he knew. He knew how she felt, and yet he played dumb and continued to let her follow him around like some love sick puppy. She could understand that he didn't want to hurt her feelings, but this was worst. She would rather have faced the truth even if it did hurt than to be lead around like a clueless fool. A year, and a half all wasted on a guy who would never see her as a woman. She felt so stupid, the pain in her chest increased, she gritted her teeth. As seconds passed by the pain was becoming too much for her to bear, she was becoming an emotional wreck, she could feel the stinging sensation in her eyes as they start to water.

'Don't cry… damn it, don't you cry!' she thought clenching her fists so tightly they started to shake slightly, even her shoulders started to shake.

Out of nowhere she felt a hand grasp her shoulder from behind giving her a jerk causing her to turn around, and fall into a hard solid chest. Ayane tried to pull away, but a hand on her back kept her there against her captor. She tried to look up to see who it was but he beat her to it, tucking her head under his chin, he then mumbled in a voice so low only she could hear, "You look like you need a friend…"

She instantly recognized the voice, it was Ryu Hayabusa. Allowing herself to relax in his arms, she let out a breath. She knew he cared for her well being, still, she couldn't help but feel surprised that he was here trying to comfort her. They did agree to give the friend thing a shot so it only makes sense that he would make an effort.

She figured Ryu heard Jin's conversation, too. That was fine with her, saves her from trying to explain this mess. Speaking of messes, her emotions came crashing back full force. Knowing she could trust Ryu she buried her face in his chest, only then did she allow her tears to fall. Her hands would tightly grip his shirt at his sides as she stood there in his arms crying silently into his chest.

Little did they know they had an audience. Irene stood about twenty feet away behind Ryu, watching the two in their little embrace. She'd lower her gaze to the floor for a moment before turning over and leaving just as quietly as she came.

XXXXXXXXXX

School just finished, and students were rushing about through the hallways getting ready to leave school campus. After storing his stuff away in his locker Ryu made his way through the hallway. He would stare at the floor as he went along, his mind elsewhere. His thoughts would usually drift to Irene, but today was different. This time his thoughts lingered on a certain lavender haired girl. He couldn't stop thinking about her since lunch, he was worried about her. He couldn't help but wonder how she was holding up.

His mind would replay what happened earlier at lunch, he just so happened to have stumbled upon Jin's conversation as did Ayane. He was also there to see Ayane's reaction, remembering how her body started to tremble, and he didn't have to look her in the face to know she was close to having a breakdown. He could only imagine the pain she was feeling, just knowing she was hurting didn't sit right with him. He suddenly felt the urge to comfort her, his protective side coming out, and before he knew it he was pulling her into an embrace.

He didn't know how she would react to him comforting her, if she would blow up at him before running off or try and act like everything was fine. She did neither. Instead she allowed herself to cry in front of him which meant she was either hurting that badly or trusted him enough to let him see her in such a state. Or maybe it was a little of both.

Knowing how shaken up she was earlier he wondered if he should check up on her later at home, but was iffy on it. Maybe she needed some time to herself after, besides, he didn't exactly know what to say to comfort her in this situation. Luckily she didn't expect him to say anything earlier, the comfort of his arms was enough. His thoughts were interrupted when he bumped into someone. He really needs to start paying attention to his surroundings, he sighed.

His emerald eyes would look over at the person he ran into only to find Irene. She had dropped a few of her textbooks when they collided. Ryu was quick to help her get her books from the floor. He would apologize to her as he handed Irene her books.

Their eyes would meet only for a second before Irene looked away turning her gaze to the floor. She quickly thanked him before taking her books from him. He didn't know why but to him Irene seemed a little… off. She wasn't usually as friendly as she was with him. In fact she seemed a little distant.

"Is everything alright?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. Everything is fine. See you, Ryu." And with that Irene quickly spun around to leave, but then she stopped in her tracks.

"Ryu…" Irene called out before turning back around to face him, looking him in the eye.

"Yes?"

"You and Ayane.. are you… Nevermind." She shook her head.

"I should get going. Bye." With a faint smile on her face she would give a small wave before turning over to leave.

'What was that?..' he thought as he watched her go.

* * *

 **And that's it for this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter starts off continuing from the last chapter so it's still the same day.**

* * *

A few hours later around seven thirty was when Ryu decided to visit, knocking lightly on the door. Kasumi was the one to answer this time. "Hey, Ryu." she greeted with a smile.

"Hey, Kasumi. Your brother home?" he asked.

Kasumi shook her head. "He's over at Hitomi's place."

"Oh… well, do you think I could use your bathroom real quick?"

"Of course you can. Come on in." She'd let him in before remembering about the food she was cooking on the stove. For fear of it burning she hurried to the kitchen, leaving Ryu standing there alone in the living room.

He would make sure Kasumi was out of sight before he made his way through the hallway, but instead of heading to the bathroom he stopped right in front of Ayane's door. Giving a soft knock he waited for a reply, but nothing came. Giving another knock, and still no reply, he reached for the door knob and twisted it finding it unlocked. Slowly did he push open the door to take a peek only to find Ayane sitting cross legged on the floor while leaning against her bed, staring blankly at the wall. The stereo on her dresser played soft tunes, the current song that was on was slow, and sounded very depressing, probably matched her mood right now. He knew she was hurting, but he didn't expect to find her like this.

He would enter her room, quietly closing the door behind him before making his way across the room to her stereo turning it off. "Listening to that won't help."

As if just noticing his presence Ayane looked up at him, her brows furrowed in confusion as if wondering if he's really there standing in her room. "Ryu?..."

"Yes. It's me." a small sigh escaped his lips when he caught a half empty bottle of whiskey settled next to her on the floor. So she had been drinking, and is probably drunk right now. That would explain the depressing music, and the whole staring off into space.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to see your brother, but he wasn't home.." avoiding her gaze when he answered, he'd cross his arms over his chest as he leaned against her dresser.

"And why are you in my room?..."

"Since I'm already here I thought I might as well see how you're doing after what happened today.." he shrugged.

"Well, as you can see, I'm just dandy." She would say this with a wry smile on her face, reaching for the bottle of whiskey and giving it a little shake before lifting it to her lips taking a swig.

"I take it you got the whiskey from your father's liquor cabinet?" he asked as he watched her. She nodded.

"Right-o! He's away on some cruise so I don't have to worry about him… yet." she giggled a little, her face a little flushed it was obvious the booze was getting to her.

"You shouldn't be drinking.." he said this, sighing a little.

"It was the quickest thing I could get my hands on. I just needed something to… help ease the pain." She would take another swig, a small burp left her lips afterwards.

Not knowing what else to say he kept silent as he stood there in the same spot, still leaning against her dresser watching over her. She would offer him some whiskey, but he turned it down. It seemed like his presence didn't bother her because she kept on drinking, letting out a few giggles here and there as if lost in her own thoughts. It went on like that for about ten minutes, but then out of nowhere she got quiet and ended up staring blankly at the wall again.

After what seemed like minutes of her being in a zombie like state, she suddenly spoke, her voice sounding tired and a little slurred. "I don't get it."

"You don't get what?" he asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"I don't get what he sees in her. I mean, what does she have that I don't?.."

Ryu didn't have to ask who she was talking about, he knew very well who. Not knowing how to answer that he stayed quiet.

"Okay, I know what he sees in her. She's a babe. Not to mention she's pretty smart, and a blonde. I don't know why, but it's like guys dig blondes more. You think that's his type? What am I saying, of course that's his type. If it wasn't he wouldn't be all stuck on her like he is. Why couldn't she be one of those stupid ditzy blondes?.. And an ugly one at that.." she pouted, this making her look somewhat like a little kid. Ryu couldn't help but chuckle at this.

"I know I'm not that bad to look at. I'm no knockout like her, but I'm pretty decent. I'm pretty… And I may not be as smart as her, but I'm not stupid. My grades are good, too. But I guess that's still not good enough.." She'd take another swig of her whiskey, by now she was downing it like water.

Seeing as how she was in ranting mode, Ryu figured it was best to let her vent and get it all off her chest. His part in this was to be that friend who lends an ear to listen. And listen he did.

In the next five minutes she went from ranting to crying softly, now hugging her knees.

"All this time pining after someone who will never see me as a woman. I feel so stupid. A year, and a half wasted on him." she cried, wiping away her tears.

It seemed she was on one hell of an emotional rollercoaster ride because next thing he knew… her tears were suddenly gone and anger took over. And just like that she was back to ranting.

"Everyone thinks he's cool, but really he's a coward. That's what he is. Can't even be a man, and tell a girl his true feelings. Instead he gives her false hope, that stupid prick." She growled out, taking another drink of her bottle whiskey.

After she threw a little fit her mood switched again, and the tears returned. "It's really no surprise that he likes Irene of all people. What guy doesn't like Irene? Even you like her… She just has it all, she's the whole package, damn her." This caused her to take another swig, the bottle whiskey nearly empty.

At this point she looked about ready to pass out. She could barely keep her eyes open, and was starting to lean on one side almost falling over. And she stayed in that position for a bit till she finally righted herself moving to lean back against her bed, her eyes now closed. She would stay completely still for a minute or two, this causing Ryu to think she may have fallen asleep.

But then out of nowhere she started talking again, more like mumbling, her eyes still closed. "I… I just want to experience that kind of love you share with another. To have that strong bond like how my parents have it, even Hayate and Hitomi have it. To have someone to share your worries, your burdens, your everything with.. Just to know that there's someone out there who loves, and cares for you just as much. That forever kind of love…" after that she quieted down, her body suddenly going limp. He would wait a moment to see if she would do anything else in case she was still awake, but she did nothing.

Ryu figured this time she really must have fallen asleep. A small sigh escaped his lips as he made his way over to her, kneeling down to scoop her up in his arms. As soon as his arms reached around her trying to be careful lifting her, her eyes suddenly shot open, amethyst meeting emerald. This surprised him causing him to go still for a moment, wondering what she'll do.

She would stare into his eyes, and leaned in closer as if to get a better look at them, their faces just inches apart. "Hey.. your eyes.. such a pretty color." She whispered, a small smile on her face.

Being this close to her Ryu himself couldn't help but notice what a pretty color her eyes were, getting lost in those beautiful amethyst orbs of hers. Then he noticed how her eyes would darken slightly, having a certain hunger to them, it was lust. And then her lustful gaze would drop down to his lips.

Ayane would lean further in to try and close what little distance was left between their faces, but then she suddenly passes out going limp against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

Only then did Ryu notice he was holding his breath, he'd let it out in a sigh, one of relief. That was a close one. For some reason he froze, his mind went blank as soon as she tried to lean in for a kiss. Never had he seen that look in her eyes, and the fact that it was directed at him…, he would shake his head to rid such thoughts. He knew this wasn't really her doing, she was under the influence so she wasn't exactly in her right mind.

Still, being a young healthy hot blooded male, a part of him couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she didn't pass out, if she did kiss him. Of course he wouldn't take advantage of her in this state or ever, that wasn't his style, but he still couldn't help but wonder how soft her lips would feel as he lowered his gaze to her mouth for a moment.

As if realizing what he was doing, to other people he'd look like a creep right now taking advantage of a drunk girl, he would let out a sigh as he picked her up off the floor bridal style, laying her down on her bed. After covering her with her blanket he picked the bottle of whiskey off her floor, and placed it on her dresser. He'd glance over at her once more checking to see if she was okay. She was out like a light, snoring softly, a little drool already forming at the corner of her mouth, he chuckled.

In the end he was glad he came otherwise he would've never seen this side of her, he got to know her a little better. And who would have ever thought that she was just like other girls who wished to find love. Sure she liked Jin, and wanted a relationship with him, but Ryu didn't think she was looking for something that serious. She was still young, and had plenty of time to find love so he couldn't understand why she was in such a rush. Women... He shook his head.

Knowing it was time for him to leave Ryu crept out of her room as quiet as he came in, and made his way through the hallway to the front door getting ready to leave. As he was doing so he completely missed Kasumi coming out the bathroom, her eyes going wide when she saw that he was still around, and more importantly what room he just came out of.

Kasumi would watch him leave before turning her gaze onto Ayane's bedroom door. 'What was he doing in there?..' she thought.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Waking up with a hangover wasn't the best way to start a morning so our lavender haired beauty wasn't in the best of moods. Deciding to go for a simple cute casual look she dressed herself in fitted white overalls that went down just a few inches above her knee, wearing a plain black shirt inside with a pair of white flip flops to match.

Soon as she woke up this morning with the hugest migraine of her life she instantly regretted last night's actions. And she only regretted it even more as memories of last night flashed through her mind with her ranting, crying like a baby to Ryu, and then trying to ki- No! No, no, no. She couldn't even finish that thought. Just even thinking about almost thinking of it made her want to die of embarrassment. It was that bad. But, as embarrassed as she was… she knew she would eventually have to explain herself, and apologize to Ryu.

She already knew where to put the blame, and that was on the alcohol. That's right. Damn thing makes you do crazy things. Because of this she swore to lay off the alcohol for a long while. No need to embarrass herself any further…

Before heading to the kitchen she'd grab herself two pills of Aleve from the bathroom mirror, when entering the kitchen she spotted Hayate at the stove frying scrambled eggs with diced up spam. He told her breakfast was almost ready, and she would only nod as she grabbed herself a glass of water. After taking her pills she'd move to sit at the table, resting her elbows on the table with her face in her hands, she'd let out a tired sigh.

Kasumi would then make her way in, finishing the last remaining bit of her braid for her hair. She would greet her siblings, deciding to help her brother prepare breakfast by getting the plates, and help serve the food. How lucky were they to have such a good older responsible brother like Hayate. Ever since Kasumi could remember Hayate had always been around to watch over them. Their parents were always busy with work back then that everything just fell on Hayate. Well, he took it upon himself to be the man of the house, and has been taking care of them since.

Some kids would feel neglected when their parents aren't so present in their lives, but that wasn't the case for the girls. They didn't feel that way, because to them their guardian was Hayate. He was their brother, and yet their father figure while growing up, always watching over them. No matter what he was doing, whether he was out with friends or on a date… he would always find the time to come by the house to check if they ate, and if they hadn't he'd whip up something for them, and it would always turn out delicious. All those years and experience of cooking for them has made her brother quite the chef. Kasumi loved his cooking, and so did Ayane.

The two sisters thanked their brother for the breakfast before digging in, Ayane would've enjoyed her food much more if it wasn't for the headache she had. She couldn't wait for the Aleve to kick in, she just couldn't operate like this, not with her head feeling like it's about to split in two.

"You okay?" asked Hayate, concerned for his little sister.

"I have a fat headache." Ayane answered with her eyes closed, too exhausted to keep them open.

"You should take some Aleve." Kasumi chimed in, unlike Ayane Kasumi was happily eating away at her breakfast, pain free.

"Already did." Ayane groaned, pushing some of the food around on her plate with her fork.

"I'm sure they'll kick in soon." Assured her brother, this causing Ayane to flash him a small gentle smile.

"Oh, I knew I was forgetting to tell you something. Ryu came for you yesterday, but you were at Hitomi's." said Kasumi, sneaking a quick glance over at Ayane when she mentioned Ryu's name.

Out of nowhere Ayane hissed, this causing both her siblings to look at her to which she replied it was because of her headache.. She hoped they bought it.

"That's weird. I talked to him on the phone yesterday, I told him I was heading over to Hitomi's." Hayate furrowed his brow, confused, after all it wasn't like Ryu to let things slip his mind.

"Maybe he forgot." Said Kasumi.

Hayate just shrugged, not thinking much of it. Kasumi on the other hand was still trying to figure out why Ryu was in Ayane's room last night. Looking over at her sister once more, Ayane suddenly seemed to be so interested in her food, stuffing her mouth.

The lavender haired girl herself decided to keep quiet when Ryu came up in their conversation. It's not that she had anything to hide, but it's not like it was something her siblings had to know, either. She had a feeling Ryu really came by yesterday just to check on her. Ryu was a friend, and friends can visit.. There was no harm in that. She just wished she had never made a fool of herself in front of him last night. Ugh…

It didn't take long for Ayane to finish her breakfast, putting away her dirty dishes in the dishwasher. She would make an excuse about meeting up early this morning with Christie so she quickly grabbed her things, and jetted out of there.

It turns out that her fake excuse ended up becoming real because on her way walking to school she met up with Christie. Ayane smiled upon seeing her friend, glad for her company. With everything that happened yesterday, she felt like she needed her best friend right now.

Coming over to her side, Christie would wrap an arm around Ayane's shoulders as they walk together to school in sync. "Good morning, my love."

"Morning." Ayane greeted back, rolling her eyes yet she was still smiling.

"And how is your morning going so far?" asked Christie, giving her friend's shoulders a light squeeze.

"Ughh. Not good. I woke up with a huge hangover."

"Oh? Someone was drinking last night? How dare you not invite me. What was the special occasion? And with who? Ryu?" teased Christie.

"Will you stop it with that? There's nothing like that going on between us. I don't like Ryu like that. You know I like…" she stopped mid sentence, catching herself. She was going to say she liked Jin, but now… Ayane sighed, her smile gone from her face.

Noticing the sudden change in her friend's mood, Christie stopped in her tracks and faced her friend, giving Ayane's shoulder a little shake as she peered into her friend's face. "Hey, I was messing with you. I know you like Jin."

Ayane shook her head, "Well, it seems he doesn't feel the same about me... I heard him talking to his friends yesterday.. he didn't know I was nearby… so yeah. And that is why I got shitfaced last night." Ayane sighed.

Immediately Christie pulled her best friend into a tight hug, "What an idiot he is if he can't see what a great catch you are. I mean, look at you! You're a total babe! And for a girl so small you've got the biggest heart. Really, it's his loss. Just forget him! Besides, with that blue Corvette he owns it must mean he's got a small dick, so he's no good anyway."

Ayane blinked. "What?"

"The faster the car, the smaller the dick is. That's what I believe. Whenever you see a guy driving a pretty fast car, it's either he has a small dick or it's an old geezer trying to get young pussy. Sick old bastards…" Christie shook her head, and just then a black Ferrari whizzed by them on the road.

"The Ferrari is a very impressive car. Now, guys who own cars like that.. have no dick." Christie said, grinning.

"Guess you learn something new every day." Ayane laughed some as the two continued their way to school.

"And the next time you have a breakdown like that, and start drinking… Call me. I'll join you. It's always better to drink with someone than to drink alone. Got it?" Christie would flick Ayane on the cheek hard.

"Ow, okay, I got it." Ayane stuck her tongue out at her best friend.

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 **I'd love to know your thoughts on this story so far. Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter is super short. Blehh.**

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Once they reached school grounds Ayane could feel herself getting nervous. On the outside she looked normal, but inside she was freaking out a little. She felt like she needed to hide, but from who? Jin? Ryu? Or both? No, she knew she had to at least face Ryu. He deserves an explanation, and she didn't want his good image of her to be ruined by last night. She didn't want things to be awkward, either.

Speak of the devil, just as she thought of him Ryu suddenly appeared in her sight, walking through the courtyard to the school building, most likely heading to his locker.

Determined to get it over with, Ayane excused herself from Christie before following after Ryu into the building. He was opening his locker when she decided to let herself be known, letting out a fake cough to gain his attention which she did.

"Hey, Ayane. How's the hangover?" Ryu greeted.

Ayane would give an inward sigh of relief at this, she was glad he wasn't acting awkward. This made things a little easy for her to apologize.

"Thanks to Aleve I'm doing better, now. Ryu, uh, about last night on how I was acting like a drunken fool, the things I said or try to do... it wasn't me at all. I wasn't myself. And I usually don't act like that when I get drunk.. I just had too much of the hard stuff, and.." Ayane bit her lip, her cheeks turning a light shade of red due to her embarrassment.

Seeing how hard of a time she was having talking about last night Ryu decided to cut her some slack, flashing a small smile. "No need to explain. I understand, don't worry about it."

"Alright, don't have to tell me twice. Still, thanks for listening last night. You didn't have to, and sorry to put you through a girl's pity drinking but again, thank you.." Ayane smiled a little.

"No problem." He'd say this with a small nod of his head.

"Good. Cool. As for everything I said last night… why don't we just forget it all? No need to remember any of that stuff, in fact if you can just erase it from your mind that would be great." She said this looking sheepish.

It was then she heard his voice echoing in the hallway, her head instantly turned to the direction it came from and there Jin was walking through the hallways with his flock of friends. The two then made eye contact, and Jin would smile and give a nod in greeting to Ayane but she looked away in the end.

Ryu silently watched Ayane's reaction once she spotted Jin, he didn't miss the hurt look in her eyes when she glanced at her crush. And just like that she was back to being down in the dumps. Of course she wasn't going to get over her feelings over night. The wound was still fresh, and will take time to heal, he just wished the healing part was a lot quicker and easier because he didn't like seeing her look so broken.

"I don't know if I want to forget everything.." said Ryu, closing his locker after getting what he needed, leaning against it.

"What do you mean?" she looked at him, confused.

"Last night you told me my eyes were a pretty color. So you think my emerald eyes are nice, huh?" Ryu winked at her, one corner of his lips curled up into a smirk.

Ayane's eyes widened, and her whole face turned red as a tomato, embarrassed. "C-come on, Ryu… Don't pick fun at me. You know I wasn't myself last night."

"Sure, but you know what they say. Alcohol brings out the truth in people. So aside from my eyes, …what else do you like about me?" he teased, still smirking.

"Really, Ryu? Don't you think it's a little too soon to be cracking jokes about this, especially right after I just got done apologizing?" she frowned a little, her face still flushed red.

"If I remember correctly.. you were staring at my lips last night. You like them, too?" he licked his lips.

"I-I don't remember that. That didn't happen." She stuttered, getting all flustered, and turning even more red in the face.

"Want to see what they taste like?" he asked this, leaning in towards her slightly.

Ayane quickly scooted back, now glaring at Ryu she huffed in frustration, her face red as ever. "Uh, no thanks, I'll pass. Gotta go. Jerk…" And with that she turned over and left in a hurry.

Ryu chuckled lightly as he watched her go. 'That got her out of her funk.' He thought, smiling.

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

During breaks between classes Ayane made sure to avoid Jin through the halls, only reason she was doing this was because she didn't know how to act around him. He had no idea that she heard his conversation the other day, and so to him things were cool. But for her, looking at him hurt, especially when knowing he has no interest in her at all. This was only the second day, and she already hated feeling pathetic like this. Ayane sighed.

If Irene wasn't in the picture, would Jin have looked her way? Would he be interested then? Speaking of Irene, Ryu has a thing for her, too. Deciding to be a good friend, Ayane went off in search of Ryu to warn him before it's too late.

She caught him in the courtyard with his friends, her brother being one of them. When Ayane started walking towards the group, some of the boys would whistle and holler.

"Alright, guys. Settle down. That's my sister." Said Hayate, shaking his head.

Ayane would ignore the boys making her way to Ryu asking if they could talk in private, and he nodded. As the two went off to the side together the rest of the boys would hoot for Ryu to score, the others making kissy sounds. Hayate would hit some of them in the head for it. 'Boys.' Ayane thought, rolling her eyes.

"Look, Ryu, I'm just going to get straight to the point. You were there with me yesterday so I'm sure you heard everything Jin said, including him liking Irene… I may not have a chance, but you still do. I've seen the way Irene looks at you, it's obvious she's into you."

"How do you know?" he asked.

"I don't know how to explain it, it's a girl thing, we can sense these kinds of things. Ugh. Just trust me on this." She rolled her eyes.

"Okay.." he said slowly.

"So if you want to give it a shot with Irene, I suggest you hurry up and ask her out before Jin does."

"When do you think he'll ask her out?" Ryu crossed his arms.

"I'm guessing real soon. Why not ask her out today?"

"Maybe.. If anything I'll ask her out after school. She's probably having lunch off campus right now."

"Cool. Just watch, I know she'll say yes." Ayane grinned.

"I hope so." He sighed.

"Don't think too much on it or you'll back out. Don't worry, it'll be fine." Ayane flashed him an encouraging smile before walking off but not before waving goodbye to her brother.

As Ryu was walking back to his group of friends he could feel Hayate's eyes on him. He figured Hayate was wondering what their little talk was about, and expected Hayate to ask but instead he kept quiet. He knew how protective Hayate was over his sisters. Ryu only hoped that Hayate wasn't thinking he was trying to get close like that with Ayane.

Ayane spent her lunch with Christie and the other girls, chatting away and gossiping about all sorts of things until the bell rang. She then parted ways with her friends and made her way to her locker making sure she didn't bump into Jin on the way. She did happen to find her sister Kasumi standing at her locker, though.

"What's up?" Ayane asked.

"That's what I want to ask you." Said Kasumi.

"What are you talking about?" Ayane look confused.

"I saw Ryu come out your room last night." Said Kasumi coming out with it.

Ayane's eyes widened. "What? Look, it's not what you think…"

"And when he was brought up in our conversation this morning, you rushed out of there so fast." Kasumi pointed out.

"That's because I was meeting up with Christie in the morning, and I didn't want to keep her waiting." Ayane lied, grunting.

"Brother even told me about catching you two in the living room."

"Hey, that was an accident!" Ayane blushed, frowning some.

"I saw you two talking earlier at lunch, too. Is there something going on between you two?" Kasumi asked.

"Kasumi, I would love to explain all this to you, but I don't have time right now. Class is about to start, I have to go. Later." Sighed Ayane, grabbing her things from her locker before leaving.

'What is it with everyone thinking I have something going on with Ryu?' Ayane thought, shaking her head.

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 **It's getting harder for me to 'wing it' as I get further into my story. Ugh. Running out of ideas, but I'm trying.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I had to brainstorm more than ever for this chapter because once again I didn't know how to go about it. This whole 'winging it' thing as I go along is now becoming a pain in my arse. Ahaa. Anywho, read on!**

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School just got done, and after going to her locker Ayane went to use the bathroom entering one of the stalls. As she was doing her business two more girls came into the bathroom chatting.

"Gosh, to have one of the hottest guys in school ask you out, Irene is so lucky." Said a girl.

"If only it was me that Jin asked out. Ah, only in my dreams." Sighed another.

"It's no surprise he asked Irene, after all she's like the prettiest girl in school, good grades, good everything. She's perfection. Together they'll be the perfect couple."

"Not to mention the hottest couple in this school. I hate to admit it, but they do look great together.."

The two girls were at the counter checking their appearance in the mirror while Ayane kept quiet in her stall, trying to hear more of their conversation.

"Well, Jin may be off the market now but at least we still have Ryu. I'm surprised he doesn't have a girlfriend by now."

"I don't know about that. I've seen him around here with some girl lately. She has lavender hair, creamy skin, short. She's no Irene, but she's okay. If you ask me, though, Ryu could do better."

"I know. Like one of us." And both the girls laughed. Their laugh was stopped short when they heard a toilet flush, realizing they had a listener. The door to the stall opened, and out came the lavender haired girl herself. Both girls shared a secret look as they realized who the listener was, keeping quiet.

Ayane just ignored them as she made her way to the sink washing her hands with soap. Not once did she glance their way, in fact she acted as if they weren't there. Ayane would dry her hands with a paper towel afterwards, checking her appearance in the mirror. It was only then did Ayane finally acknowledge them.

"You say I'm okay?.. No, you guys are okay, and I'm a catch, honey. Ryu would be lucky to have a girl like me. And what's this, you guys think you're better? Who are you kidding? He'd never go for either of you. Like you said before.. only in your dreams, girls. Only in your dreams." Ayane would flash the girls a fake smile before leaving the bathroom.

'Those haters.. And what do you know, even other people aside from my family and friends think I'm in a relationship with Ryu. Great.' Ayane thought sarcastically.

It seems Jin had already beat Ryu to the punch, but did Irene say yes? Just as Ayane was wondering this she spotted Irene walking through the halls with her friends. Without thinking Ayane ran over, and tapped Irene on the shoulder causing her to turn around.

"Hey, can we talk for a minute?" Ayane asked.

"You guys go on ahead." Irene told her friends before facing Ayane once more, forcing out a small smile.

Ayane couldn't explain it, but the atmosphere around them didn't exactly feel right, and Irene didn't feel as welcoming as she looked.

"So, ..I heard the good news that Jin asked you out?" Ayane gave a small smile back.

"That sure spread around fast. He asked me just ten minutes ago." Said Irene.

"That's high school for you, aha… But how lucky are you to have Jin of all people ask you out?.. What was your answer?" Ayane asked trying to sound all casual, ignoring the pain in her chest.

"I don't see how that's any of your business, but if you must know, I said yes.." said Irene.

'Ohh, am I sensing a little attitude?' thought Ayane, watching Irene carefully all the while thinking about her next choice of words. Should she bite back or no?

"Oh, you said yes? That's surprising because from what I could tell it didn't seem like Jin was your type. Just saying." Ayane shrugged.

"And you happen to know what my type is? I didn't think we were that well acquainted." Irene raised a brow at this.

"It's just I've never seen you show any interest in Jin before.. so why all of a sudden the change of heart?" Ayane asked.

"You seem so concerned for Jin. Could you be interested in him?" Irene asked instead.

"Of course I'm concerned, he's a friend…" Ayane clenched her jaw.

"Sounds likes you care for him as more than a friend. Just saying." Irene threw back at her.

"Well, you're wrong. And besides, I already have someone of my own…" Oh shit, what did she just do...

This took Irene back by surprise, but she quickly fixed her expression to neutral. "Oh? Who would that be?" she asked, hoping Ayane wouldn't say his name. No, it couldn't be him..

'Now I have to make up a boyfriend, ugh. Can you get any more pathetic, Ayane?' she thought, mentally kicking herself.

"Not that it's any of your business, but if you must know.. it's…-" Ayane paused racking her brain for something, anything to make her lie believable. And that's when she spotted him. Looking over Irene's shoulder she could see Ryu approaching them. "Ryu.." she uttered his name, an idea coming to mind.

Irene blinked, taken by surprise for the second time though she tried not to show it. "I'm sorry?"

"Ryu!" Ayane called out as she ran over to him soon as he got close enough. Ryu smiled at her in greeting, he figured Ayane was here putting in a few good words about him to Irene.

"There you are." Said Ayane, grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him over to where Irene was.

Ryu noticed how Ayane would pull him over to her side, keeping a grip on his arm as if claiming him. Now he wasn't so sure what was going on.., but before he could ask Ayane beat him to it.

"You know Ryu Hayabusa… We're together." Ayane blurted out, smiling.

Ryu's eyes widen slightly, he didn't know what to expect but he wasn't expecting that. He would look over at Ayane, his eyes silently asking her for an explanation. Ayane caught his look, and would only give his arm a firm squeeze in a silent plea for him to go along with it.

"I see.. I'm guessing this happened recently?..." Irene watched the two for a moment before her eyes settled on Ryu.

Maybe he imagined it.., but Ryu could've sworn he saw a flash of hurt in those beautiful blue orbs. Could it be that Irene was jealous?...

"Yes. Very recent. He may be a shy guy in public, but when we're alone he's all sweet on me, it's cute." Ayane hugged Ryu's arm, hoping they looked convincing enough.

"Well, congrats…" Irene said, forcing out a smile.

"Thanks. Same goes for you, and Jin." Ayane smiled, but on the inside she wanted to gag. There's no way she would support Irene, and Jin being together.

Ryu on the other hand caught what Ayane had said, only realizing now that he was too late on asking Irene out. But that still doesn't explain why Ayane was here playing charades.

"Thanks. I've got friends waiting for me, I should get going… See you around." Irene would glance at Ryu once more before she turned over, walking off.

'So much for asking her out..' Thought Ryu, watching Irene go till she was out of sight.

Seeing that Irene was out of hearing range, Ayane would let out a sigh in exhaustion. Sometimes lying can take out a lot in you. She couldn't even figure out how it turned out like this, she never intended for things to end up this way but somehow it did.

She may not have to deal with Irene at the moment, but now she had to explain her actions to Ryu… again. And hope he'll go along with her crazy plan. Ayane sighed, letting go of his arm.

"Care to explain?.." asked Ryu, obviously confused with what just happened.

"Alright, I will, but not here." Ayane would look at their surroundings before she spotted the janitor's closet, a perfect spot for privacy. She'd grip Ryu's wrist, and drag him to the closet, closing the door behind them. Finding the light switch she'd flip it on causing the closet to light up, she looked over at him.

"Look, I didn't mean for this to happen, honest. Just earlier I heard that Jin asked her out, and so I only went to ask her what her answer was…" Ayane bit her lip.

"Alright, and how it did go from that to us suddenly being together?.." Ryu crossed him arms over his chest.

"About that, she started giving me attitude and was accusing me of liking Jin. I quickly denied it, and without thinking I blurted out that I already had a boyfriend… Once it was said I couldn't take it back or I would've looked like a dumbass, and that's when you came into the picture.., and the crazyness just went from there." Ayane winced slightly, looking guilty.

Ryu would only sigh, he couldn't believe this was happening.

"I'm really sorry…, but it's not like I ruined your chances. Jin had already beaten you to the punch. By the time you asked her out it would have been too late. She had already said yes to Jin." She said.

"That's not the point. Now she thinks I'm in a relationship with you. Speaking of this relationship, what are we going to do when word gets around?" He sighed once more.

"Believe it or not, but there are already a few people who think we're together." Said Ayane.

"That still doesn't make this okay.." Ryu frowned.

"I know. Just hear me out, okay? So when I was fibbing to Irene this crazy idea came to mind... Since we're already playing a couple we might as well use it to our advantage. Did you see Irene's face when I told her we were an item? She was jealous!"

"Why would she be jealous when she has Jin?" he asked.

"I don't know why she's with Jin when it's you she's obviously into, I'm still trying to figure that out. Maybe you took too long on asking her out, you should've made a move sooner. I warned you then, but you didn't listen. Anyway, you can take this time to make her green with jealousy, make her realize that she's with the wrong guy, and snatch her back. Before you know it she'll be running to your arms." Ayane smiled, hoping he'd go for it.

"What's in it for you? Let me guess.. you're going to try, and make Jin all jealous and hope he falls for you in the process?"

"Something like that, yeah." Ayane blushed a little at the thought.

"You're crazy, it's not going to work." Ryu shook his head.

"You don't know that! We have to at least try first. It's not like we'll really be dating, it'll all be pretend. Would it kill you to just play along?" Ayane argued.

"Nope. Not happening." Ryu turned over reaching for the door, but Ayane stopped him, blocking the door with her body.

"Please, Ryu! If this works out well we'll both end up getting the people we want in the end. It's a win-win situation." She pleaded.

"It's not that simple, Ayane. Now, if you'll excuse me.." he said this, waiting for her to move out the way.

"He's my first love, okay? So I want to fight for him, I refuse to just give up like this. I won't accept defeat until I know I've given it my all…" she looked him in the face with determination set in her eyes.

Ryu just stood there for a moment watching her. He figured she wouldn't let him leave until he agreed so he didn't really have much of a choice... Well, that and the fact he was already caving in to her... it was like he couldn't say no. He sighed.

"What am I getting myself into?.." he mumbled this to himself, letting out a groan.

Ayane heard him, knowing that meant he was in, her lips would curve into a big wide smile as she threw herself at him hugging him around his waist. "Thank you, Ryu! Thank you!"

"Alright, settle down." He said this, patting her lightly on her shoulder.

Just then the door to the janitor's closet opened causing them to freeze. The janitor himself was surprised to find two students in the closet in what he assumed was a lover's embrace. He would kick them out, all the while scolding them. "You kids get out of here. This is no make out closet. Shoo."

Ayane would apologize to the janitor, her face flushed red in embarrassment. She'd look around the hall to see if anyone witnessed that, and found the two girls from the bathroom standing nearby… and they were watching.

The girls didn't look too happy seeing her with Ryu, especially coming out of the janitor's closet with him. She'd make eye contact with them as they glared at her, a cocky smirk crept to her lips. 'Take that, girls.' She thought.

Ryu stood there on the side silently watching the three girls exchange looks, not sure what was going on. He quickly decided to drop it, he didn't need to know. Women.. They were a mystery. Ryu would give out a fake cough to gain Ayane's attention, "I'll walk you home."

Turning back to face Ryu, Ayane flashed him a pretty smile. "Sounds good, let's go." And off they went.

The girls would watch them go, but they were more focused on Ayane, drilling holes into the back of her head. "Bitch…" one of them huffed out.

Ayane, and Ryu would exit the building getting ready to head off school campus. Ryu decided he might as well walk Ayane home knowing they need to discuss their situation more, especially rules for their so called relationship.

"We need to set some rules." He told her as they began their walk home. Ayane nodded.

"I know, and we'll get to it later. It's just right now I'm exhausted, and brain dead at the moment. Let me take a breather." She sighed.

Ryu could settle with that, but then something else suddenly came to mind.. Hayate. Shit.. This time it was Ryu who sighed.

"One more thing.." he said, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck.

"What's that?" she asked looking at him.

"What are you going to tell Hayate?"

"Brother dearest? No worries, you just leave it to me." Ayane chuckled, grinning.

For some reason Ryu didn't like the sound of that. One wrong word, and he could see Hayate trying to come for his head. Ryu wasn't so sure about this crazy idea anymore…, especially if it could ruin his friendship with his best friend. For the second time that day Ryu couldn't help but wonder.. just what exactly did he get himself into?

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 **Just what will happen next? Will Ayane's little plan work? Will I get a review? Who knows. lol. Let me know what you think. :)**


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